Io | Io, Zeus, Argos (2024)

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Io | Io, Zeus, Argos? ›

Io was another woman to whom Zeus

Argus or Argos Panoptes (Ancient Greek: Ἄργος Πανόπτης, "All-seeing Argos") is a many-eyed giant in Greek mythology. Drawing of an image from a 5th-century BC Athenian red figure vase depicting Hermes slaying the giant Argus Panoptes. Note the eyes covering Argus' body.

Io, in Greek mythology, daughter of Inachus (the river god of Argos) and the Oceanid Melia. Under the name of Callithyia, Io was regarded as the first priestess of Hera, the wife of Zeus. Zeus fell in love with her and, to protect her from the wrath of Hera, changed her into a white heifer.

Io ("the wanderer") is generally explained as a moon-goddess wandering in the starry heavens, symbolized by Argus of the hundred eyes; her transformation into a horned heifer represents the crescent moon.

Io (/ˈaɪ. oʊ/; Ancient Greek: Ἰώ [iːɔ̌ː]) was, in Greek mythology, one of the mortal lovers of Zeus. An Argive princess, she was an ancestor of many kings and heroes, such as Perseus, Cadmus, Heracles, Minos, Lynceus, Cepheus, and Danaus.

Zeus sent Mercury (Hermes to the Greeks) to slay Argus to set Io free. He did this by playing his magic pipes to put all of Argus' eyes to sleep, then used a sword to cut off his head.

Hera and Poseidon fought passionately over Argos [map], and when the three river gods who were given the task of judging the dispute were found in favor of Hera, Poseidon flooded the city and dried up the rivers in anger.

She was a beautiful girl living in Argos, central Greece, when Zeus saw her and fell madly in love. Disguised into a cloud, Zeus made love to her. His jealous wife, however, Hera, learnt about this relationship and turned Io into a cow to keep her away from her husband.

The ultimate origin of Io is with the Biblical Yohanan (Hebrew: יוֹחָנָן), a reference to the divine right, and, in the baptismal name "John", an implicit expression of thanks for the child's birth; the abbreviation is performed as with other nomina sacra, but appears as Ioan in Orthodox Church ectenia.

As a young woman, Io was cursed with agelessness because she refused a god's advance. In result, she had to watch thousands of her loved ones perish while she lived on.

Who was Zeus killed by? ›

Although Zeus's power is at times challenged in the myths, such as when his wife Hera leads a rebellion to unseat him that is ultimately unsuccessful, as a god, Zeus is immortal and cannot be killed.

When Zeus fell in love with her priestess, Io, and turned the maiden into a cow, Hera was furious with the girl. After Hermes killed Argus, who was keeping watch over Io [see Hermes], Hera made Io wander the world as a cow until she came to Egypt. She was transformed back into her human form and bore a son.

Zeus finally became enamored of the goddess who was to become his permanent wife — Hera.

As a strategic location on the fertile plain of Argolis, Argos was a major stronghold during the Mycenaean era. In classical times, Argos was a powerful rival of Sparta for dominance over the Peloponnese, but was eventually shunned by other Greek city-states after remaining neutral during the Greco-Persian Wars.

From Thebes, Dionysus went to Argos where all the women except the daughters of King Proetus joined in his worship. Dionysus punished them by driving them mad, and they killed the infants who were nursing at their breasts.

Argus was appointed by the goddess Hera to watch the cow into which Io (Hera's priestess) had been transformed, but he was slain by Hermes, who is called Argeiphontes, “Slayer of Argus,” in the Homeric poems. Argus's eyes were transferred by Hera to the tail of the peaco*ck.

Odysseus's dog, Argos, maintains his promise to protect Odysseus's family during his absence. But times are becoming desperate for Penelope—Odysseus's wife—and Telemachos—their son.